Mine-car.



I. V. CLARK.

MINE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY13. I916.

1,21 1,089. Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

in: mum-s PZYIIS m. INDIE-7ND WASHING run at:

JAMES V. CLARK, F DAVIS, VJEST VIRGINIA.

MINE-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed May 13, 1916. Serial No. 97,340.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMns V. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Davis, in the county of Tucker and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mine-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mine cars, and it has particular reference to the means for securing and releasing the tail gates or end gates of such cars for the purpose of retaining the load and discharging the same.

The invention has for its object to produce a simple, improved and effective looking device which may be very readily manipulated for the purpose of securing or releasing the end gate, as may be required.

A further object of the invention is to produce simple and efiective mechanism whereby the end gate may be automatically released when desired.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing,-Figure 1 is a rear end elevation of a mine car having a tail gate to which the invention has been applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The car body is supported in the customary manner on axles one of which is seen at 16, said axle having wheels 17 The tail gate 18 is swingingly supported on a cross bar or rod 19 carried by brackets 20 on the side walls of the car body.

The bottom or floor portion of the car body is provided with brackets 21 between which a box 22 is swingingly supported on ivots or trunnions 23. Pivotally connected with the box 22 adjacent to the lower end thereof is a rod 2 1 which is guided in a support 25 depending from the bottom of the car body, a spring 26 being arranged to force the rod 24 and the swinging box 22 outwardly with respect to the end of the car body.

Slidable vertically in the box 22 and capable of being frictionally sustained in various positions in said box by means of a spring 27 is a locking pin 28 having a handle 29, whereby it may be manipulated. When the end gate 18 is in a closed position, that is to say, when said end gate occupies a substantially vertical position between the side walls of the car body, the pin 28 may be disposed with its upper end portion abutting against the outer face of the end gate at the lower portion thereof. \Vhen thus adjusted the friction spring 27 will prevent the locking pin from dropping downwardly, and the tension of the spring 26 will be exerted to hold the locking pin forcibly against the lower end portion of the end gate, preventing the latter from swinging outward.

The end gate is provided with hookshaped brackets 30 adapted to receive the upper end portion of the locking pin between them, as best seen in Fig. l. Pivotally mounted on the end gate is a locking bar 31 which is adapted to be received in the hook-shaped brackets 30 to positively prevent the locking pin 28 swinging outward by the pressure of the end gate when the latter is subjected to the pressure of the load. Normally, however, the locking bar 31 will be swung upward to a non-engaging position with respect to the hook-shaped brackets by the pressure of a spring 32.

For the purpose of securing the locking bar in position against the tension of the spring 32 a latch 33 is employed, said latch being pivoted at 34 on the end gate, and said latch having a beveled hook 35 adapted to engage the correspondingly beveled end portion 36 of the locking bar. A spring 37 is employed to force the latch member 33 to engaging position with respect to the locking bar, the movement of the latch memher in the direction of the'locking bar being limited by a stop member 38. The spring 37 is coiled about an operating rod 39 which is connected with the latch member and which is slidably supported in a bracket member 40. The outer end of the operating rod has a handle 41 whereby it may be actuated manually or, when desired, by a wedge-shaped contact member 42 which may be secured in a suitable position alongside of the track on which the carruns, said contact member being conventionally shown in Fig. 3.

In the operation of this device the latch 33 secures the locking bar 31 which in turn prevents the locking pin from swinging against the tension of the spring 26, thereby securing the end gate in its closed position. When it is desiredto discharge theload the latch 33 is withdrawn against the tension of the spring 37, releasing the locking bar whichby the spring 32 is moved to the position shown in 'dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby releasing the locking pin. The latter will still be retained by the tension of the spring 24 in its obstructing position with respect to the end gate, this pressure being suflicient to maintain the end gate in obstructing position, while the car is running on a level track or over the short distance intervening between the point where the latch is released and the tipple. When the tipple is reached the car is tilted, and the pressure of the load being now thrown full against the end gate will overcome the tension ofthe spring 25, and the locking pin will swing outward,

perm-itting the end gate to swing open. To

restore theparts to lockedrelation the lockin-g pin may be moved downwardly in the box or socket 22 by the handle 29, thus moving it out of the path of the end gate while the latter swings shut. Necessity for'swinging the locking pin forcibly against the tension of the spring 26 will thus be avoided. After the endgate has swung shut the looking pin is lifted, restoring it to its obstructing position, after which the locking bar is moved to obstructing position with respect to the pin and engaged with the latch.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1; A mine car having a swingingly supported end gate, a swingingly supported socket member, a pin slidable in said socket member and, adapted to obstruct the end gate,and spring means actuating the socket member to hold the locking pin in obstruct 7 ing position.

" .2. A mine car having a swingingly sup ported 'end gate, a swingingly supported socket member, a pin slidable ln'SillCl Socket 7 member 'and'ada )ted to obstruct the end gate, spring means engaging the socket,

member to hold'vthe locking pin'in obstruct ingpos tion, and friction means for retaining the slidabl'e locking pin in adjusted posiition'i n the socket member.

:8. A mine car havin a swin in 1 sn b V V. i

V Copies of this patent may be obtained f or five cent s'e ach, by :addressin 7 Washington, Di 03 j r f ported end gate, a swingingly supported socket member, a locking pin slidable in the socket member, friction means to retain the pin in adjusted position in the socket member, hook-shaped brackets on the end gate adapted to receive the locking pin between them, and a locking bar pivoted on the end gate and adapted to engage the hook-shaped brackets adjacent to the locking pin.

4. A mine car having a swingingly supported end gate, a swingingly supported socket member, a locking pin slidable in. the socket inember, friction means to retain the pin in adjusted position in the socket member, hook-shaped brackets on the end gate adapted to receive the locking pinbetween them, a locking bar pivoted' on the end gate and adapted to engage the hook shaped brackets adjacent to the locking pin, and spring means engaging the socket member to hold the locking pin in engaging position with respect to the end'gatei able therein, av friction member engaging the pin, hook shaped brackets'on" the end gate adapted to receive the locking pin between them, a spring-actuated l'ocklng bar gage the hook-shaped brackets adjacent to the locking pin, and a pivoted spring actu-' ated latch engaging the locking bar, 7

V 7. In a mine car, a swingingly supported end gate, a swinging supported spring actuated socket member, a locking pin slidable pivoted on the end gate and adapted to entherein, a friction member engaging the 'pin,

hookshaped brackets on the end gate adapt- 7 ed to receive the locking pin between them;

a spring actuatedlocking' barpivotedon the r 7 end gate and adapted to engage the hook shaped brackets adjacent to the lockinglpin, a p voted spring actuated latch engaging the lock ng bar, 'and means' for releasing the latch. V V m In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES 1v. omen.

*lVitnesses tozsignaturer V H.'A,Mmiea, r 51 V ALDna'To -77 7 g the fConihiissioirier of Patents, 

